The Big Lead

Buster Olney: 'I Don't Think There is Going to Be An Agreement' Between MLB and MLBPA

By Brian Giuffra

Mike Trout and Buster Olney.
Mike Trout and Buster Olney. / Matt Brown/Getty Images
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Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the Players Association over the financials of playing baseball in 2020 have been bitter and aired out in public. The two sides are dug in and it appears no resolution is in sight, with the MLBPA not even countering the latest offer from MLB.

It's so bad at this point, ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney doesn't see a resolution in the future. Appearing on Golic and Wingo, Olney said he doesn't think there's going to be an agreement between the two sides.

We've all seen how nasty these negotiations have gone because, for whatever reason, both sides seem more eager to discuss where things stand with the public rather than each other. When Olney says they're not even talking on the phone (or Zoom) because the level of distrust is too high, you know things have reached a breaking point.

One has to wonder if that means there won't be baseball this year or just that the two sides won't agree on the resolution that comes. After rejecting and refusing to counter MLB's latest offer, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said: "Further dialogue with the league would be futile. It's time to get back to work. Tell us when and where."

MLB could reportedly impose a schedule of 50 games with the players getting full prorated salaries, which would be worth around $1.25 billion. The MLB's latest offer was for 72 games and 70 percent of the prorated salaries, which is worth around $1.5 billion. It seems if there's going to be a season the deal will be closer to the former than the latter.

Of course, there's also the possibility players strike, as they did in 1994. With all the issues that have developed between MLB and the MLBPA over the last few months, things could be too damaged to salvage this year. Plus, with a recent spike in COVID cases, perhaps players don't want to put themselves at risk. Either way, the relationship between these two sides is severely damaged and it's hard to imagine things getting better anytime soon.